Saint Laurent Studded Canvas Espadrilles
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 41.5 (EU)
- Period:
- Material Notes:Composition – Canvas
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Condition – Very Good (Glue visible to the toe).
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:
Saint Laurent
French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent pioneered “cross-design” in fashion, taking inspiration from street trends to modernize haute couture.
Saint Laurent was the first to launch a ready-to-wear label, YSL Rive Gauche Prêt-à-Porter. He was the first couturier to open boutiques for both men and women. Using traditional menswear fabrics and designs for women, Saint Laurent also literally cross-dressed, giving men and women alike chic pant suits, elegant tuxedo jackets and urban safari gear. By blurring gender-specific design, he empowered individual style while creating a scissor-sharp fashion aesthetic of sensual ease and beauty. Many of his designs are today considered timeless classics. Saint Laurent also consistently used Black models, like Mounia, Iman and Naomi Campbell, and he drew endless inspiration from different ethnicities and cultures, in no small part because of his Algerian roots.
Born to French parents in Oran, Algeria, in 1936, Saint Laurent went to Paris at age 17 to study fashion at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Just two years later, in 1955, his remarkable sketches were shown to Christian Dior, then the world’s reigning couturier, who hired him immediately.
Surprisingly soon thereafter, Dior publicly chose Saint Laurent as his successor, which sadly proved prescient when the fashion legend died unexpectedly, in 1957. A mere slip of a youth, the 21-year-old Saint Laurent was nevertheless up to the challenge. He shook the traditional couture clientele to its core with youthful silhouettes and styles like the A-line trapeze dress that hung with seeming effortlessness from the shoulders, the antithesis of the pinched waists and molded skirts that had been all the rage after the deprivations of World War II.
After a mandated spell in the torturous French military, Saint Laurent suffered a nervous breakdown and was dismissed by Dior in 1962. Out of the ashes rose the Age of Yves. With Pierre Bergé, his then-lover who became his lifelong business partner and friend, the designer founded Yves Saint Laurent YSL to encompass prêt-à-porter, or ready-to-wear. In 1966, they opened the first YSL Rive Gauche women’s boutique in Paris, followed soon thereafter by YSL Rive Gauche for men. Saint Laurent had given birth to a global brand.
His revolutionary Mondrian mini dress from 1965 is a core element of his fashion biography. It is a prime example of how Saint Laurent, an avid art lover and collector, looked to painters, from Goya to Picasso, Ingres to Matisse, for inspiration.
With its pure lines and hues, Mondrian’s ground-breaking 1935 color-block painting Composition C transmutes beautifully into a dress that is highly valued by collectors of contemporary fashion and widely copied commercially to this day. The design is the epitome of Saint Laurent’s aesthetic, requiring a meticulous hand piecing of each color block so that, despite the body’s curves, the visual plane is as flat as a canvas when the garment is worn. Mondrian’s purity met its match in Saint Laurent.
“I am no longer concerned with sensation and innovation, but with the perfection of my style,” Saint Laurent said four years before retiring, in 2002. After a long period of ill health, he died at his home in Paris on June 1, 2008. Under creative director Hedi Slimane, the house’s ready-to-wear collection was rebranded as Saint Laurent in 2012.
Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage Saint Laurent evening dresses, shirts, handbags and other clothing and accessories today on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Aquazzura Patent Leather & PVC SandalsBy AquazzuraLocated in London, GBAquazzura Patent Leather & PVC Sandals Red heels designed with barely there straps at the toes and ankle detailed with PVC inserts. Featuring round toe and stiletto heel. Size –...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Heels
- Chanel Tweed Logo MulesBy ChanelLocated in London, GBSold Out - Chanel Tweed Logo Mules Pink tweed mules designed with iconic white leather and gold chain 'CHANEL' lettering to the front. Styled with white leather trimmed straps and ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Clogs Mules
- Alexander McQueen Leather Skull Embroidered SlidesBy Alexander McQueenLocated in London, GBAlexander McQueen Leather Skull Embroidered Slides Blush pink wide strapped flats detailed with skull and roses embroidery. Featuring nude insoles wi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Clogs Mules
- Giuseppe Zanotti Studded SandalsBy Giuseppe ZanottiLocated in London, GBGiuseppe Zanotti Studded Sandals Military green, open toe sandals designed with silver studs embellishment to the straps. Featuring camel leather inser...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Sandals
- Chanel Leather, Chain & Logo BroguesBy ChanelLocated in London, GBChanel Leather, Chain & Logo Brogues Black and ivory leather and patent leather with silver iconic chain trim. 'CHANEL' in silver metal to each heel. From 2019 Collection. Addition...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Brogues
- Chanel Chain CC Logo Leather Cork WedgesBy ChanelLocated in London, GBChanel Chain CC Logo Leather Cork Wedges Khaki/beige open-toe platforms detailed with Chanel's iconic leather chain trims. Designed in slingback style embellished with nude leather...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French High Heels
- CHRISTIAN DIOR black leather DIORABLE RIDING Boots Shoes 37By Christian DiorLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Christian Dior Diorable knee high riding boots in black calfskin features a strap adorned with a gold-finish 'CD' buckle. Have been worn and are in excellent condition...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Shoes
- CHANEL Black Pumps Gunmetal Stretch CC Pearls Heels Leather Brocade Sz 40By ChanelLocated in Hollywood, FLChanel Pumps Black Gunmetal Stretch CC Pearls Heels Leather Brocade Sz 40 Measurements Approx: Insole, 10" Heel Height, 3.5" Condition: Fair The ...Category
2010s Heels
- Jimmy Choo Purple and Coral Lizard Woven Slide Heels - 39By Jimmy ChooLocated in West Palm Beach, FLJimmy Choo Purple and Coral Lizard Woven Slides with Heels - 39. These slides are purple lizard-skin with single-woven strips. They are in excellent condition and show only minor wea...Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Shoes
- Valentino Black Leather Strappy Platform Heels - 37By ValentinoLocated in West Palm Beach, FLValentino Black Leather Strappy Platform Heels - 37. These heels are in excellent condition with very minor wear on the bottom. Measurements: Platform: 0.5" Heel: 4.5"Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian High Heels
- Manolo Blahnik New Metallic Eggplant Leather Pumps w/ Rhinestone Pendant - 40.5By Manolo BlahnikLocated in West Palm Beach, FLManolo Blahnik Metallic Eggplant Leather Pumps w/ Rhinestone Pendant - 40.5 - New. These lovely Blahnik pumps are in new condition having never been ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Heels
- Bruno Magli Brown Signature Croc Embossed Moccasins Loafers Slip on Formal ShoesBy Bruno MagliLocated in Downey, CABruno Magli Brown Signature Croc Embossed Moccasins Loafers Slip on Dress Formal Shoes Bruno Magli's croc embossed loafer features hand-stitched suede le...Category
2010s Italian Shoes
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How to Spot a Fake YSL Bag
Counterfeiters know that savvy fashionistas cherish YSL bags. Learn how to tell if yours is the real deal. Of course, you don't have to worry about that on 1stDibs, where every seller is highly vetted.
This Golden Saint Laurent Handbag Feels Like a Disco-Era Throwback (in the Best Way Possible)
If you're looking for an accessory that brings the party, this is it.